ai is eyeing the slope

A developer has proposed building one of the largest data centers in the country on Alaska's North Slope, a roughly 500 million dollar project that would cover about a square mile of land off the Dalton Highway, around 25 miles south of the region's main oil and gas infrastructure. The facility would run on its own natural gas power plant, fed by a newly built pipeline.

By some estimates, the facility could use more than double the natural gas that urban Alaska burns for electricity and heating combined. That consumption raises questions for Alaskans in Anchorage, the Mat-Su Valley, and Fairbanks who are already watching tight Cook Inlet gas supplies and rising energy costs.

The proposal comes as Alaska draws growing interest for large AI and data center development. Developers cite cheap land, abundant natural gas, and a cold climate that can handle much of the cooling these facilities need without the massive water use common in warmer regions.

The U.S. Air Force has separately invited companies to build data centers on military land near Anchorage and Fairbanks, including Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Clear, and Eielson. A project of this scale on the North Slope could bring jobs to the region and new pressure to expand gas infrastructure there.

The state's public comment period on the preliminary decision for the North Slope project runs through June 15.